Leadership Spotlight: Nikolas Bishop
ISS Administrative Search was proud to lead the Interim Director search for International School of Stavanger, Norway. Congratulations to Nikolas Bishop for accepting the position, beginning June 2021!
Nikolas has been involved most recently with International School Board Training, creating a video series for boards relevant to these times with travel restrictions. He also has spent nine years leading a three-programme IB school in Africa, and before that, seventeen years in British curriculum schools in the Middle East and Asia. Nikolas holds a BSc Hons in Mathematics from the University of London, PGCE in Mathematics from the University of East Anglia, and NPQH from the Institute of Education, London.
In the feature below, learn more about Nikolas’s path to international schools, education philosophy, and what excites him about his role at the International School of Stavanger.
What drew you to pursue the world of education? And what drew you into international education specifically?
Coming from a family of educators, I tried hard to avoid falling into the same path…but was inexorably drawn into teaching. My wife and I are both TCKs, and working internationally actually made us feel at home! I’ve found international educators to be passionate about their trade and the difference they can make in the world.
Tell us about your education philosophy and your leadership style. What can your new community expect?
I love looking at education through the lens of NEASC ACE where the focus is on the impact on learning. When I think of education today and the demands that will be placed on our students as they transition into adulthood, it’s so important that they have transferable skills, the ability to collaborate and critically analyze data, to be cognizant of different perspectives and to be able to think creatively.
It’s impossible to fit all of these technological, social, emotional and entrepreneurial skills into a framework that is already packed with content, and so the ACE “impact on learning” helps focus and prioritize on what’s really important in the long term.
The International School of Stavanger
International School of Stavanger students on a field trip
What excites you about your new role at the International School of Stavanger (ISS)?
I’m passionate about accreditation and especially the NEASC ACE protocol and I’m looking forward to being able to unpack the learning experiences at ISS.
What is an interesting fact or story about you that you would like to share?
I walked from England to France and back to England again… in a straight line…
Many thanks to Nikolas for sharing his reflections! We’re wishing the best to him and the International School of Stavanger community at the start of this new chapter.
If you’re interested in pursuing a school leadership position, check out our current leadership searches or get in touch with the ISS Administrative Search Team.